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Emerging Brands

The race is on for a piece of the pickleball pie

New concepts seem to pop up daily. Here's a look at how the pickleball eatertainment landscape is taking shape.

Marketing

Fast-food marketing comes under legal scrutiny

Quick-service brands have long used food stylists to make their burgers look better in ads than they do in the restaurants. But customers are pushing back. And a recent ruling against Burger King is giving their complaints life.

The Bottom Line: The addition of the sandwich giant will make Roark a bigger player than McDonald's in the U.S. But its position in the sandwich market will not be all that unusual.

Reality Check: The industry's largest state market is about to hit the business, a significant part of its economy, with all sorts of changes and new burdens. What gives?

The Bottom Line: Restaurants have stepped off the pricing gas. But sales are slowing and traffic is weak, and more operators are turning to price promotions.

The Bottom Line: Fewer than 200 restaurant chains will be affected by the lowered threshold included in the compromise fast-food legislation.

Tech Check: Grocery is one of the few industries that may be even less techy than foodservice. Instacart wants to help it catch up, and could get a boost from its IPO.

Atul Sood sees a lot of opportunity in the company's partnerships with Kroger and Circle K, but not so much in its stand-alone ghost kitchens. “You’ll probably see less of those,” he said.

Reality Check: Five weeks of management hell was enough for this industry vet of 47 years.

The Bottom Line: Some executives of franchise chains are also franchisees. “I feel the pain when I make a decision to bring something in.”

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